Madison (17-21) started the day against Morenci, which only has four wrestlers on its roster.

Madison's second match against Clinton was by far the most thrilling of the night. Every bout counted as it came down to the wire. With just six matches remaining, Madison was ahead 21-15. The teams traded pins in the next two matches to put the score at 27-21 Madison. Clinton then got hot, as it recorded two straight pins against the Trojans to take its first lead, 33-26. The Trojans were deducted one team point for arguing a call made by the official.

With only two matches remaining, Madison had to win both and recorded a pin with one of those victories. First up was 189-pounder Jake Hamilton against Clinton's Jacob Brassfield. The match went back and forth and came down to the wire. Heading into the third period, Hamilton was up 4-2. Both wrestlers battled it out hard in the third, as there was eight points scored in the final period. Hamilton was able to win the match 8-6 to keep the Trojans alive.

With Clinton up 33-29, the Trojans could tie with a decision or win it with a pin. Sophomore Richard Clees (215 pounds) had the team riding on his back, but did not let the pressure get to him. Clees was able to record a one-minute pin and get the victory for Madison.

"This was our first time wrestling at home all season, so it was huge to go 2-0 in front of the fans," said Madison coach Scott Hall.

After the Clees win, the whole gym erupted as the Trojan team jumped up and down in celebration and piled on Clees after the teams shook hands.

"We have to get better every match when it gets close to the postseason and we did that today," said Hall. "We will look to push forward, wrestle hard and get better every day to close this season out."

Sand Creek had an impressive performance itself.

"Some guys got extra matches in, and I think we're improving overall as a team at the right time," said Sand Creek coach Marc Spicer.

"We have seen some of our unexperienced guys improve a lot down the stretch, and that will help tremendously as we start getting ready for the postseason," said Spicer. "Of course our goal is to make it to states, but it is one step at a time."

Page 2 of 2 - After the 0-2 finish on the day, Clinton (18-17) was disappointed.

"We've looked better; we have a lot of guys sick and injured," Clinton coach Kevin Beazley said. "We hate to make up excuses, but it is what it is. Madison and Sand Creek came ready today."

Mike Sexton (125) was the lone Redskin to go 2-0 on the night.

"We have to get healthy and fresh for the final run," Beazley said. "We're hurt in some areas, sick in others and drained in others. It's all about getting better from here."

Sand Creek and Clinton return to Madison on Saturday for an individual tournament.